A/N: Annnd once you begin to roll down hill, you start to pick up speed….
"A 404 error is a common website error message that indicates a page cannot be found. Regardless of the appearance, a 404 error means the server is up and running, but the webpage or path to the webpage is not valid."
Chapter 10
"But in the end everyone ends up alone, losing him, the only one who's ever known who I am, who I'm not and who I wanna be. No way to know how long he will be next to me…" –The Fray
"The Chip that gave me…" Dexter breathed quietly. "How! W-why! What did we do!" he finally finished with as what he would describe as a manly squeak.
Dexter. Dexter! Those hands were out again, backing up from the angry screech the tv screen had given off in time with the boy's cry. Dexter, please calm down and let me explain. After I explain my case, I will do anything you ask of me, even leave.
Dexter finally looked away from the Chip and saw a yellow pillow lying next to him. He picked it up, hugged it to his chest tight, and sunk in against the familiar red couch. He was too weirded out to even notice the knowing look those red eyes gave him for that action. Dex just stared at the floor with big, deer-in-the-headlights eyes and thought in silence. "...Okay," he whispered, leaning against the soft cushions and wishing desperately that Freak was there. The Freakazone's lights dimmed soothingly. "I'm listening."
Thank you, Dexter. Now… There was a pause. The figure shifted slightly. Freakazoid, the Freakazoid you know, is currently under attack.
Well, that made Dexter sit back up and nearly drop his pillow. "He is! But, but the last time I saw him he was fine—" Granted, that was just before passing out in Freak's arms, but Dex wasn't about to get stuck on little details. Not now.
Dexter, it is a different type of attack than either of you have endured before. It is….it is an infliction upon the Freak's mind. It overrides his normal responses and causes him to stop responding to... Another pause. Outside forces.
"I…a what?"
It is like…a 404 error on a computer.
Dex sat back a little, calling upon his knowledge of all things technology and computer related.
A 404 error was when a web page couldn't be found. It happened when either a URL had been typed incorrectly, or when… "When a link is outdated," he murmured, not even realizing he'd spoken until he heard it in his ears. Things were starting to piece together, stringing like spiderweb trails coming together in the wind. "B-But…"
The Chip seemed to read his mind. That wasn't so hard to believe, they were currently sitting in it, essentially. Regardless of the outer shell, Dexter, a 404 error means the server is running, but the webpage or path to the webpage is not valid, correct?
"So Freakazoid is…losing himself? How is that even possible!" Figuring out one fact about his best friend was only causing several more to pop up like mushrooms after the rain. Geez, this was insane.
…Dexter, you of all humans should understand that anything concerning the Freakazoid usually isn't possible…but happens anyway.
Well, that was true. "…Yeah. So, so what happens to him? Will he—" Dexter paused. The idea that he was about to vocalize was almost too horrific to even say. "D-Disappear or something?" Dex shivered nervously, holding his pillow closer.
No. In fact, it does the opposite. This is all assumption so far, but I do believe he gains his powers back.
"He does? That's not a bad thing, though!" Dexter interjected, manners momentarily forgotten. His best friend was in danger; manners didn't matter. "And, and it explains why I still have telekinesis, actually." He blinked as it dawned on him.
It does, yes. But they still exist for the same reason: to keep the Freakazoid in line.
"But Freak's not dangerous!" Dexter blurted out, fingers clenching against the cushion. "He's-"
Not now. Not around you. You keep him focused, centralized, you are his voice of reason.
That response opened at least three more doors than it had closed. Now the geek's confusion was upped by a power of ten.
"Me? But why me, I'm just, I'm nobody!" God, it was true. "Freakazoid's the hero!"
There was the sense of a wry smile in the air, even though the figure before him had no features. …Says the boy who's kept this mighty force in line for more than two years.
Dex shut his mouth at that. It wasn't like he could argue over facts. Sure, he had occasionally pointed Freak back in the direction of catching a bad guy... but that wasn't because he controlled Freak! Freak just liked, liked listening to him or something, and God knows why he did what he did!
"You make it sound like I run his life! I don't-I don't force him to behave, and I couldn't do that to Freak! I just…" Dex suddenly smiled fondly, recalling old memories. "Trying to control Freak's like... trying to control a force of nature. It just, it doesn't work like that."
You are correct. It does not work like that.
Dexter suddenly got the terrible inkling that something awful was about to be said.
But your influence, your pressure on him to be the very best superhero he could be, is what made the Freakazoid what he used to be before you were torn apart. And now that this force—you-is gone, the Freakazoid is... unstable.
Dex shuddered at that last word. Unstable. "So, so tearing us apart…started all this?" he tightened his grip on the pillow, suddenly uneasy "Is that what Gutierrez was trying to do all along? Make Freakazoid... unstable?"
Yes…and no. The Chip looked around as if trying to think. To be honest, I highly doubt that Armando Gutierrez knew what he was getting into when he did what he did. But that is in the past. You must rejoin with the Freakazoid to fix the error. That would fix the broken link; and mend the hypothetical 404 error. The error is, by your standards, evil. It does not answer to anything but chaos. Rejoining is the only option.
"...Error? Evil?"
It is his…darker side.
"Oh, right." Dexter paused, replaying the Chip's words. Evil…? How could Freak, any part of him, be evil? He was just a big, goofy guy most of the time. There wasn't a malicious bone in his alter ego's body…right?
Do you…want to help him?
"I, I do." Dexter murmured sincerely. "I do wanna help him, if he needs me, I'll do anything. It's, it's the least I can do. It's all I can do."
Freakazoid needs you now more than ever, Dexter Douglas. And at that Dexter finally looked up and met those red alien eyes. He took a deep breath, steeled himself.
"So what do I do? And, and if you don't mind me asking," He felt sheepish, though deep down he knew he didn't have to be. It was his right to ask this. "Why…are you, uh, in my head?"
Because you two need me.
"Can you, can you... rejoin us?"
…That is up to you Dexter, but you should know with your powers and my help you are capable of recalling the Freakazoid, and his error, back in you.
"Then what'll happen? To his, to the error?"
It will most likely evaporate and return to the subconscious of the Freakazoid, where not even he-or you-could reach it.
"So…everything will be back to the way it was before," Dexter finished softly, looking down.
In a word, yes. You…do not want that?
"I…I just wants what's best for Freakazoid, I guess."
The silvery figure took a step closer. This time, nothing in the Freakazone turned defensive; it remained quiet and still as Dex sat there hugging the bright couch pillow like a lifeline.
Then it is settled. I will contact you through your thoughts when the time is right. But expect the time to come soon, I do not think it necessary for the Freakazoid to suffer longer than he has to, correct?
"Huh? Oh, no. No, you're right. Okay…" Dexter sighed, looking around. Now what?
You should wake up now. I have no way of monitoring the outside world like this, but it is safe to assume you have been in sleep mode for too long. We do not want to worry the Freakazoid…
Dex blinked and found it hard to focus suddenly. His body, this body in his mind, felt funny. Disjointed. The Chip's voice got faint, the Freakazone faded out around him.
Dexter, it is time to wake up.
There were no special sound effects, no sparkles or glowing lights. One minute Dex was in his own mind talking to a computer chip that had downloaded itself into his brain, and the next he was back in what everyone called the real world and staring tiredly up at his dark ceiling. He turned his head; the clock on his side table said that it was three-thirty AM. The Chip was right. He had slept too long. He was in bed, something heavy across his chest and something else snoring faintly in his ear.
He shifted automatically, and by accident found out just who was clutching him and doing the snoring.
"…Nh? Oh, Dexxy?" Somewhere to his right, Freak shifted groggily and the arm that was over Dexter's waist curled onto him tighter. "You all right?"
"Yeah, Freak. I'm okay." His sickness from earlier made sense now, his body thought it had to purge the Chip from his system.
"…Really? Ya sure?" Freak tried to lift his face from his pillow but he was clearly only half awake. "You're were all warm an'stuff an'I was worried…"
Dexter smiled faintly at that. 'Yep. Still a hero,' he thought faintly, and found it odd that his thoughts seemed to still be his and his alone. The Chip was being honest when it'd said it wouldn't act unless necessary. Well…that was okay with Dex, he supposed.
After all, he already had an alter ego who was perfect, it would just get crowded in his head to add anyone (or thing) else.
Said alter ego had fallen back to sleep already, snoring quietly in Dexter's ear. The geek chuckled quietly and scooted closer, smile growing when he'd noticed he was under his sheet and Freak was curled over him, providing extra warmth.
Dex fell back to sleep after that, but only after realizing dimly through sleepy thoughts that it was hard to believe that his Freakazoid could ever be the monster the Chip had described.
F!
The next day passed by slowly and rather happily, all things considered. Dexter beat Freak's high score on PlacerRacer and had to endure an hour-long aftermath of Freak burying his nose into Dex's shoulderblades and wailing into his shirt about how his life was over and Dexter was too great for this world and it wasn't fair.
Dexter just rolled his eyes and kept reading his history book, nonplused by his dramatic superhero.
"Freak…Freak, would you—Freakazoid!" Shouting his last name finally got a response, the hero's black mop of hair came up and Freak rested his chin on Dex's shoulder looking over at him. Freak made a noise of questioning in the back of his throat, earnest blue eyes on his geek.
"…Thank you," Dexter huffed, but he was smiling. "Now, do you want to go or not?"
Freak blinked. "Go where?"
"To Mike's, I asked you if you wanted to meet go Steph there like, an hour ago, Freak."
"I…oh. Right!" Those arms holding Dex in place tightened in a happy squeeze, causing the boy to laugh lightly. "Oh boy, do I! You AND Steph, Dexxy, I'm so excited I feel a verbal keyboard smash coming on—!"
"Okay, well, you do that, but be ready in ten okay?" Dex chuckled as he gently but firmly extracted himself from his alter ego's grip and went to get ready himself.
"Kay!" Freak trilled, leaping off the bed to grab his sneakers and say good-bye to the cat.
Dexter chuckled when he returned, ready to go, shoes and coat on. Freakazoid was petting Mr. Chubbikins, talking in quiet, affectionate tones to him. How could the guy who was currently snuggling the cat ever be... evil? "Time to go, Freak," he called. Freakazoid jumped up with a grin, blew Mr. Chubbikins a kiss, and then leaped down the stairs, Dexter close behind.
They left the house, Dexter careful to lock the door behind himself and slip his key into his pocket before they set off, walking close beside each other down the sidewalk. Freakazoid launched into a one-way conversation about the finer points of the Nintendo Entertainment System, and Dexter calmly listened all the way down the block.
They were going to meet Steph about six blocks from Mike's smoothie stand, which was in the middle of the small town shopping center of their district. It was a halfway point between the Douglas house and Steph's, so it was only fair that the two boys didn't make a lady walk all by herself to the place.
Sure enough, there she was at the corner of the block. She took one look at them before breaking into a (gorgeous, wide, white) smile.
"STEPH! HI STEPH, HI!" Freakazoid waved with one arm in the air, dragging Dex forward with his long legs, his fingers clasped around his geek's wrist as if Dex was going run off somewhere without them.
Steph's amused giggle made a blush crawl up Dex's neck. Freak took no notice, he just beamed down at his favorite female friend as she took his arm and—shot that smile at Freakazoid, greeting them both but smiling at Freakazoid, and boy, was Freak's smile back just about as bright as the sun.
And it hit Dexter just then, with all the force of Longhorn's kick or a punch from Duncan, he had never seen his other half so bright and vibrant.
That they were….that he was happy like this. So happy.
They didn't need the mental link for Dex to see the emotions flitting across his best friend's face. God, and he, Dexter, would be the one to rip it all away by making Freakazoid return to his body, his brain. By locking him back up inside.
And it suddenly hit him that he just couldn't do that. He couldn't break Freak's heart.
"…Dex?"
"You go on ahead, okay, Freak?" Dexter said, feeling numb, detached. He tried to smile. "I'll catch up."
"I…are you sure? Dex?" Freak asked tentatively, Steph still on one of his arms. Freak held out his free arm, intending for Dex to take it—but Dexter did not.
His smile must not have been convincing enough. Freak's eyebrows knitted together. Dex rushed to reassure his other half. "Totally sure, yep. I saw something in that window I wanted to check out, but I'll only be a second. Seriously, go ahead to Mike's and I'll catch up in a few, okay?"
"Freakazoid, he'll be fine," Steph said softly, seeming to sense Dexter's desperation. "C'mon." She gently tried to lead him away.
"I, okay," Freak said, nervously, but did head off with Steph. "Just a few minutes, right?"
"Just a few minutes," Dexter called back, and slumped as his two friends turned their backs.
Dexter…?
Oh, right. The Pinnacle Chip. For a moment he'd almost forgotten about it. He wondered if he could think thoughts to the Chip like he used to with Freak…?
Yes, Dexter. I am aware of what you were thinking. Which is why I want to ask—
"It doesn't matter," Dexter muttered quickly as he walked, head down, into a nearby Radio Shack as Freak and Steph's figures rounded the corner several blocks away. "It's fine. He's happy like this, so…why, why do I have to be the one to break him—them, like this?"
Dexter. You are feeling like a….fourth wheel?
"Third. But thank you for labeling it, that makes it so much better." He grumbled out loud and earned a look from the man behind the counter. So Dex stepped quietly to what appeared to be one of the more empty aisles, grabbed a pair of headphones randomly off the wall just to have something to look at, and…
Stopped dead.
"Why fancy meeting you here Dexter!" said a strange, large brain in an even larger hat.
"H-hi…Lobe." Super villain or not, the whole exposed brain thing was always a little unsettling up close. Dexter swallowed and tried to hide his grimace as worry arched up his spine. "Uh…how are you doing?" because it seemed like the right thing to say, and anyway, the Lobe hadn't pulled out a laser on him yet, plus there were people around, so Dex was probably safe.
The Lobe leaned over a display of light bulbs and appeared to select one at random.
"Oh fine Dexter, just fine, and you? How's life treating you as a normal human, eh, Mister Douglas?"
Dexter froze, looking around surreptitiously the small store to see if any of the other shoppers were within hearing range. No one was. "How did you—"
"My boy, anyone with half a brain can tell you're not yourself. Shame, really," the Lobe put back the 700 watt light bulbs with great care. "Hasn't been anyone around to chase me for several weeks, it's been a boring time, I tell you. And above everything, I loathe boredom."
"Yeah, well, trust me, it's been nothing but boring this week for me. I envy you." And Dexter found himself speaking truthfully to the villain, because it seemed like the Lobe understood, or was pretending to, at least. Either way it was someone to talk to about his problems other than Roddy or Freakazoid.
"Oh has it? Not what you expected was it? Tiring?"
"I…a little."
"I do miss the Freakazoid," the Lobe said a bit wistfully, staring off into space for a second.
And before he could stop himself, Dexter whispered to the headphones still in his hand. "Me too." He missed the long, hard look the Lobe gave him, but after several moments the villain finally cleared his throat and took the headphones from Dex's fingers and put them back. He spoke quietly to Dex as he guided him toward the back of the store.
"You know, I'm honestly surprised the Freakazoid's not off his rocker any more than usual. What with you not there, what's keeping him from going insane without your humanity to balance him out—"
Dexter. He knows.
'What do I do!' The geek thought frantically as the Lobe inspected a screwdriver idly.
Get ready to run when I—
"Now this is going to sound quite crazy, Dexter, but I, as your alter ego's enemy-because you know, boy, you are not my concern and I am not yours-am going to ask something you're going to find quite odd in a few moments."
Dexter paused, putting the Chip's words momentarily on hold, curiosity overriding his common sense for once. The Lobe sounded…well, he sounded different. Not so evil, he sounded serious.
"…What is it?"
"There are two armed men outside the doors of this fine establishment, you see—" When he saw Dexter tense up all over again he spoke quicker, quieter. "And I can assure you they are not mine."
"Then whose—" Dexter's harsh whisper was cut off by the brain glancing at him purposefully.
"Oh, I think you'll know well enough when you see the Apex Company logos on their shirts." At Dexter's terrified intake of breath, the Lobe grimaced and continued. "Yes….It's him. Now, we're going to walk to the back of the store and look at the fine smartphones they have available."
Dexter. You need to get to the Freakazoid.
"I…okay…" he was lead meandering through the aisles until they stopped at the rack; to Dexter's immediate right was a closed door that said 'Exit.'
"My! What a lovely selection, look this one comes in purple!" The Lobe ran his hands over the side of the phone as Dexter stood there and felt awkward, a growing sense of panic in his stomach.
"You know what I love about these things? So sleek, so face, so intelligent…" The Lobe turned his back to Dexter. Dex's eyes flicked to the door. "They'll do anything you ask of them, they RUN for hours at a time too…"
Dexter Douglas didn't look a gift horse in the mouth.
The door shut behind him, and as he sprinted down the stairs, the bells at the front door of the shop tinkled.
The Lobe whistled and headed past the armed men as they angrily interrogated the frightened man at the front desk about whether he'd seen a small mousey boy come in or leave.
"Thing about such fancy cell phones, is that one still has to buy time for them," the genius villain mused as he headed on his way.
F!
Dexter was pretty sure the Nerdator was onto something when he'd tried to take all the nerds, put them in one place and suck out all their brains. But mostly, he also knew that uncoordinated geeks like him weren't that good at running. That one thought was in his mind as he clambered along the old brick walls that the door from Radio Shack had led him out to.
Great, this was just great…if the Lobe had been telling the truth, then he was helping Dexter and Dex was blowing the precious time he had to get to Freak by stumbling along this dumb alley and the maze of other alleys behind it.
"Nah-ah, Douglas."
Dexter tripped over something in his path and went sprawling into trash cans in the back of path he was in. He had only a second to focus on the dull pain the collision had brought his body into before something hard collided with his back and knocked the wind and words out of him. A rough hand grabbed the back of his shirt and hefted him up, clamping a hand over his mouth and gripping painfully tight. The boy's struggles lessened marginally when a low voice hissed in his ear.
"Is that anyway to greet an old amigo, running from them like that? Come my boy….much to do and little time to do it."
That's why nerds weren't good at escaping. No coordination, you know.
F!
Freakazoid was about halfway through his papaya smoothie, and starting to wonder where Dexter was, when a nervous tingle in the back of his mind started up. Dexter hadn't given a solid time frame for his return, hadn't said "ten or fifteen minutes" specifically, but... but Dex had spoken like he'd only be held up for a moment. Twenty minutes was not a moment, Freakazoid knew. This tingle that had started up did not let him focus very well on Steph's words, but rather washed his brain out and filled it with white noise.
It did, however, pause long enough for him to notice Roddy walking up to Mike's smoothie stand. "Roddy? What's up?" Freak greeted him brightly as his mentor approached him and Steph.
"I…lad, this isn't easy, but…" Freak blinked, something crawling up the back of his neck. Those bells that usually warned him about Dexter? …Those bells were starting to go off.
"Dexter's been taken."
Freak's knees gave out and he crashed to the pavement, breath sucked from his chest, it felt like it was crushing him, those three words. Steph's hand flew to her mouth, "Oh!" she squeaked.
"H-how….how did….who?" She finally demanded, and Freak gave her credit. Even though she didn't like Dexxy in THAT way…it was easy to see she still thought of him as a friend at least.
"Gutierrez, says an…old friend o'mine." Roddy glowered at the pavement. "Just now we think, last person who saw him was the Lobe in some electronics store. Cosgrove's got half the station on lookout for him, checking all his old haunts—everyone's looking."
"The store he went in without us…" The girl gasped, feeling awful. "You don't think the Lobe could've—" Steph stopped at Roddy's head shaking.
"Nay, lass, the Lobe's come clean. He's not done much villianing since the Freak 'disappeared.'"
"This…is my fault," Freak realized dumbly as he stared at the cracks in the sidewalk. "This is all my fault."
Steph didn't move from where she kneeled next to him. "Freak, don't blame yourself, it wasn't—"
"Don't say that, Steph," Freak's head was down, his eyes covered by his hair as he stared at the ground. "Don't lie to make me feel better."
"I wasn't—!"
But Roddy above them cut her off with a shake of his head and that got her attention. "The lad's not going to think any different Steph. He can't. It's in his programming."
"His programming…?"
Freakazoid stopped listening at that point. What did it matter? He'd failed. He'd let down the one person on this earth he needed more than anything. Dexter had given up everything, just for Freakazoid, ever since they'd met. He'd given up his hope at ever being normal, even though normal is what Dex must have desperately wanted. He gave up his body, his mind, so Freakazoid could live inside of him. And after two years, after two whole damn years, how did Freakazoid repay Dexter? By letting his human fall into the hands of their arch-enemy.
'Gutierrez…he was right.' Freakazoid was a good-for-nothing parasite. Or at least he used to be. Now he was nothing, no powers, no immeasurable strength or speed. He couldn't protect Dexter. He thought he was made for Dexter, and he couldn't protect them.
'But Gutierrez…' And then Freak's mind pinpointed on a single idea. '…had been the one to take Dexter in the first place.' And he knew this was same man who would have no qualms about killing Dexter to get what he wanted, he'd almost done it before, so long ago, back on Christmas.
Freakazoid had to get him back.
But, as the tremble up his spine told him, the way his hair hung in his face now, and the black circle on his chest reminded him again for the thousandth time…Freakazoid didn't HAVE any powers know with which to save Dexter. He wasn't a parasite anymore because there was nothing to take from anyone, and now he was inadequate, powerless.
Freakazoid blinked at the thought that fluttered across his mind. He caught it, held on to it, and blinked again. Wait a minute…no, he wasn't powerless. He still had…Dexter still said he was a hero. They could take his powers away…but they couldn't take away how to throw a punch. And Freak definitely knew how to do that.
And they most certainly couldn't take him away either.
"Remember when you asked me what I wanted to do for Dexter, Steph?" He didn't notice the way her hand jumped on his shoulder when he finally addressed her. Roddy had stopped midsentence and was looking at him too.
"Freak…"
"And I said I just wanted to him to be okay? Do you remember?"
"I…yes."
"So that's what I'm gonna do. That's all I can do." Freakazoid mumbled, heaving himself to his feet and straightening his spine up to his full height. If he looked brave on the outside, maybe his friends wouldn't suspect how he felt so weak on the inside.
"Freakazoid! Where are you going?" Steph gasped, realization dawning on her. Freak turned away so he wouldn't see the fear—fear for him—in her pretty eyes.
"Oh Freak you can't—! You could die like this!" Freak didn't see Roddy come up behind Steph and lay his hand on her shoulder, quietly shushing her with a shake of his head.
"…without Dexter…" Freak lowered his shoulder and stepped down the sidewalk, raising his voice so they could hear him as they headed off. "I already am dead."
F!
Dexter, duck in there….now.
A large crate weighing at least ten times Dexter skidded past him as he flattened himself into a small space the Chip had pointed. The Chip always sounded calm, but at this point Dex was freaking out!
'Why am I always running from things!' he thought frantically as he ran deeper into the warehouse. 'And where the heck is the exit!'
To your left…but locked, most likely. Gutierrez is a clever human.
'Oh, please don't give him any credit, he's a fruitloop.' Dex whined mentally as he headed in a random direction he prayed his arch enemy wasn't in.
'Why is he doing this in the first place! What can he possibly gain—
If too much physical or mental harm comes to you, it might trigger the bug in Freakazoid.
Dexter came to a screeching halt and, seeing he was alone in the expansive building, quietly spoke out. "And that would be…"
Very bad.
"Yeah, well, it's not my idea of a picnic either." Dex muttered as he fixed his glasses and glanced around warily around the darkened warehouse.
Be strong Dexter. I cannot aid you against this enemy.
Dex swallowed at that, pressing his back against the wall in a feeble attempt to vanish from sight. "W-why not?"
He is not the error in Freakazoid. He is not my target.
"Well, that's okay…it's just…"
What is it?
"I think I'm HIS target!" Dex yelped as the wall exploded from where he'd just ducked away from.